From: Adam 

Ellen K. wrote:

> The US equivalent is HIPAA.
>

Sort of. This is an actual system & not a legal set of  guidlines.

Adam

> On Wed, 25 May 2005 15:28:48 +0100, Adam 
> wrote in message :
>
>
>>Oh BTW wrt LRS:
>>
>>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/25/nhs_records_guarantee/
>>
>>
>>"New rules on the security of information to be held in the NHS Care
>>Records Service, which will start rolling out across England next year,
>>were published by the Government yesterday. It hopes that the rules will
>>calm fears of privacy abuses.
>>
>>The Service, a nationwide patient health record system, is intended to
>>update the existing eclectic system, which relies on a mixture of paper
>>and computer records, and is not always available to doctors in an
>>emergency, which is when they need it most.
>>
>>The new service will be centralised, and available to all those
>>authorised to access it. This triggered concerns about privacy so, in
>>response, the Government has published the Care Record Guarantee. The
>>Guarantee makes 12 commitments to patients about their records.
>>Guarantor of these new patient rights will be the Secretary of State for
>>Health, currently Patricia Hewitt.
>>
>>The Guarantee provides:
>>
>>    * Individuals will be allowed access to their own records;
>>    * Access to records by NHS staff will be strictly limited to those
>>having a 'need to know' to provide effective treatment to a patient;
>>    * Information will not be shared outwith the NHS unless individuals
>>grant permission, the NHS is obliged to do so by law, or failure to
>>share would put someone else at risk. Any sharing without permission
>>will be carried out following best practice guidelines;
>>    * If individuals are unable to make a decision about sharing health
>>information on their own behalf, a senior health care professional may
>>make a decision to do so, taking into account the views of relatives,
>>carers and any recorded views of the individual;
>>    * Where health care is provided by a care team including people
>
>>from other services, the NHS and patient can agree to share health
>
>>information with the other services, bearing in mind the effect failure
>>to share might have on the quality of care received;
>>    * Individuals can choose not to share information in their
>>electronic care records, although this may have an impact on the quality
>>of care received;
>>    * A complaints procedure;
>>    * That individuals are entitled to check and correct mistakes in
>>their record;
>>    * That the NHS must enforce a duty of confidentiality on their
>>staff and organisations under contract to the NHS;
>>    * That the NHS must keep the records secure and confidential;
>>    * That the NHS must keep a record of everyone who looks at the
>>information held in the Service. Individuals will be entitled to ask for
>>a list of people accessing their records, and details of when they
>>looked at the records; and
>>    * That the NHS must take enforcement action if someone looks at
>>records without permission or good reason.
>>
>>According to Health Minister Lord Warner, the rules will be backed up
>>with tough security measures, ensuring that everyone can have confidence
>>in the new Service."
>>
>>
>>
>>Ah my lovely LRS.......have a gander over someone's should & get jailed.
>>
>>Adam
>
>

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